Early Ivy League Acceptance Rates For Class Of 2022

With 2018 here, most of the Ivy League early acceptance rates have been announced.

It’s interesting to note a couple of intriguing trends in the numbers as compared to the Class of 2022.

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Ivy League Early Acceptance Rates For Class Of 2022

University / College

2022 Early Acceptance Rate

2021 Early Acceptance Rate

Brown University

21%

21.9%

Columbia University

TBD

15.9%

Cornell University

TBD

25.6%

Dartmouth College

24.9%

27.7%

Harvard University

14.5%

14.5%

Princeton University

14.7%

15.4%

University of Pennsylvania

18.5%

22%

Yale University

14.7%

17.1%

Changes In Ivy League Acceptance Rates For 2022

The number one trend that is easily seen in the recently released numbers is a tightening up of early decision admissions by most schools across the board.

It’s important to put this into perspective; these percentages, released normally during the month of December, are for early decision admissions only.

These rates do not account for the regular acceptance numbers that occur in the spring. Only then, once both rates are averaged together, can you get a true idea of exactly how stringent each school was towards a particular class. There are some notable examples to be aware of though when comparing the numbers for 2022.

First, the most significant drop in early acceptance rates can clearly be seen at the University of Pennsylvania. Year over year, this institution recorded a whopping three and a half percent drop compared to their acceptance of students for the class of 2021. What makes this even more disheartening for those high school students hoping to be a part of that group is that Penn saw a 15 percent increase in early admission applicants compared to last year.

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Over seven thousand potential applicants attempted to get in into Penn’s class of 2022 early and were mostly shut out. According to statements from Penn’s own admissions office, the early decision applicant pool itself has grown by 38 percent since the class of 2018 first applied.

While it may appear that the school is being more stringent than ever, the truth is actually more nuanced. In fact, the actual number of students receiving early decision admission is similar to the class of 2021. However, when put against that 15 percent application increase, the acceptance rate plummeted.

Following the University of Pennsylvania in rate decline is Dartmouth College, which showed a nearly three percent drop in its early decision rate since last year. However, even with that drop, it still posts the highest overall early decision acceptance rate at just under 25%.

Coming behind Dartmouth is Brown University, which saw a less than one percent drop in its early decisions compared to last year at 21 percent. Another hallowed institution, Harvard University, also surprisingly stayed right on track with its early decision admissions rate, keeping steady at 14.5 percent.

Behind Harvard was Princeton University, which only saw a less than one percent drop between this year and last year. At Yale University, another significant drop was noted. However, over five thousand people applied for its early action round, marking it as the largest in the university’s history.

With numbers like that, it’s possible that Yale watched its rate drop in a similar manner as the University of Pennsylvania’s simply because of a major increase of applicants versus admitted students.

Unfortunately, two of the Ivy League’s major schools, Columbia and Cornell, have not made their early admission pool numbers available to the public. They will more than likely be available later in the spring when the regular admission rate is released.

However, even with those two schools unrepresented at this time, it is still clear to see that for many kids trying to get into the Ivy League, trying to go for Early Decision isn’t a bad choice to make.

It’s important to note though that these rates are normally much higher than those in the spring because the applicant pool often appears better qualified, which is a major reason why they take their chances on early admission rather than wait for the spring decision.

All of that being said, if you are interested in joining the class of 2022 and beyond in one of these early decision acceptance pools, then it’s paramount to start looking into the application process as soon as possible. Part of that process will eventually involve submitting your standardized test scores to the schools you are interested in.

If you are deciding between taking either the SAT or ACT, then you need to start thinking about test prep as soon as you can. Again, Prep Expert offers a variety of class options for students, both in-person and online, that cater to both time constraints and needs.

For example, if you only have four weeks left before your scheduled test date and you don’t feel one hundred percent confident, then look to see if one of our three-week Fast Track live online courses is available to better prepare you. If you have the luxury of time though, our signature six-week courses will go over the strategies that Shaan used to success.

In the end, don’t look at these Ivy League acceptance rates with worry or discouragement. Look at them as benchmarks that you can reach if you put in the time and work. The class of 2022 is on its way to being decided but the classes of 2023, 2024, and beyond? They’re wide open and waiting for hardworking students to join them. Seize the opportunity when you can and be ready for it.

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Clay Cooper

Clay is a double-perfect scorer - within one week, he earned a 1600 on an official SAT and at 36 on an official ACT! Clay has also achieved 99th percentile scores on the PSAT, ISEE, GMAT, GRE, and LSAT.
He has taught and developed courses for high school, college, and graduate-level standardized tests extensively around the country, and specializes in the field. He has studied law at Georgetown University Law Center and worked in the legal field as well, for attorneys, judges, and the Tennessee Attorney General.

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